It’s the end of June already. I’ve written so much and yet put up nothing! I found my inspiration late in the month in Fernie, BC which turns out is my second favorite place in North America, just after Seattle.
My quest for new adventures has taken me to Canada this month. I came for a wedding and am staying two weeks. I’ve seen Calgary, Edmonton, Fernie and tomorrow I head back to Calgary for a few days with a day trip to Banff planed. I’ve seen some great friends from the New Zealand days and today went on a beautiful hike in the mountains, but I didn’t take a lot of pictures. Pictures have never been something I’ve been good at. I tend to write what I experience. Memories are more to me than seeing a place through a camera.
Yesterday while exploring Fernie’s board shops, the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a great teashop I also stumbled into the most dangerous of places—a bookstore. I wondered to the back and found three books: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Steven King’s book on writing and Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg. All three are great books on the writing process, Bird by Bird being my favorite book I read last year. I bought Goldberg’s book. She winds you through your memories and helps you remember intricate details so that you can write your own memoir. My goal in a usual week is to write about ten hours. I usually do about six and in that time I put out about four pages of stuff I will go back to someday or post on here. Yesterday in one sitting using this book and the serene setting of Fernie I wrote about nine pages I think are really good. One of the exercises was to write for three minutes about a memory connected to sound. Here is what I wrote:
“I thought it was early to be up. The clock said it was 5:30am but it wasn’t the alarm I was hearing. It hurt my ears. I know what it is—the apartment next to me is empty and the smoke alarm batteries are going dead. Its sending out a warning that if somebody doesn’t change them we could all lose our lives in a fire. But then why is it getting louder? Why is there a now a chorus of smoke alarms? Surely all the batteries cannot be dying at the same time? But then, surely my home cannot be on fire? I ate breakfast before the smoke came through the crack under the door.”
I also must update you on my news things for the month, Canada being the most obvious. I did pretty well this month! On top of my new things I also set myself the goal that I would get myself into Seattle Central Community College before I left for the great wild north. I took my placement test, registered for classes, proved my Washington State residency and took care of financial aid all in one week. Looks like I’m set.
Here’s how I filled the ongoing goals:
New Things of June
Café: Vivace on Capitol Hill
Restaurant: Queen Sheba, Capitol Hill
Thing: Glassblowing at the Fremont Art Walk, and The Moore Inside Out
Books: 1) The View From Planet Earth, Vincent Crown 2) All the Pretty Horses, Cormick McCarthy 3) The Alchemist, Paul Coehl 4) Thirst, Mary Oliver, 5) How We Are Hungry, Dave Eggers, 6) Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller
